Barry University, Clark Atlanta, FAMU, Tuskegee, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, and Vanderbilt have joined in an initiative to increase the number of underrepresented minorities entering careers in biomedical research. The program joins five universities offering the M.S. degree in the sciences to Vanderbilt University offering the Ph.D. The goal is to improve the competitiveness of underrepresented minorities and facilitate their transition into biomedical research. Vanderbilt University, the applicant institution, has formed a Bridges Committee composed of six faculty members. Each partner institution has a Program Coordinator. Together these form the Bridges Oversight Committee (BOC). This proposal includes a description of the collaborative arrangements that promote and enhance the relationship between Vanderbilt and its partners. Although ultimate responsibility for the execution of the Program rests with the applicant, innovative features of the Program are built upon shared governance, which has already begun through preliminary meetings with the Coordinators. Other innovations include the establishment of a Bridges Admissions Committee (BAC), a subcommittee of the BOC, consisting of two representatives from Vanderbilt and five from the partner institutions. The BAC selects M.S. students for the entire Program and elects those who will matriculate at Vanderbilt. There are not a fixed number of slots per institution; rather, selection is based on merit and performance with full participation of all partners. Another feature is a course titled "Preparing for the Ph.D.," which is available to Bridges students the summer before they enter Vanderbilt. Opportunities also exist for students to do their M.S. thesis work at Vanderbilt. Finally, we have budgeted for an enrichment exchange of faculty between Vanderbilt and the partner institutions. The budget includes the cost of administering and coordinating the Program within Vanderbilt and between Vanderbilt and the partner institutions, and it includes funds for the Program Director, a grant administrator, and the Program Coordinators to travel to Bethesda for the annual Bridges meeting.